Reasons to Smile
by Miss Light Bright
Summary: <html><head></head>There aren't many reasons to smile when your parents are dead, but Tony's somehow managed. Over the summer, he's moved into a group home, made a few friends, and proactively pushed his grief down. With school just around the corner, two new boys join them: Loki and Thor. Tony decides he wants to be the reason Loki smiles. Frostiron</html>
1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark had been the youngest in the boy's house for three months now. The house only fit 16 orphans from ages 15-18 and because the house was full, no one new had been introduced. Tony, at first, hated the house. His family was dead, he had no relatives to rely on, and now he was all alone with fifteen other lonely kids. But that was just at first, at the beginning of the summer.

As the days past, Tony made two friends: Steve and Bruce. They were around his age, but just a month older since Steve and Bruce were both born in July. The three of them kept to themselves though because the other kids weren't exactly what Tony would call friendly.

It was when Tony turned sixteen, in August, that two of the oldest boys, freshly eighteen, left the house. They were sent off with barely a goodbye and Tony, Steve, and Bruce all huddled around their bedroom window to watch the two boys saunter down the sidewalk, step off the curb and disappear into that sleek black car that appeared time to time at the house. Tony wondered where they would go.

It was just a few days later when the boys were replaced with new ones. Steve was the first to spot the black car as it pulled up to the front of the house in the pouring rain and the three of them all went to the window in a flash. Miss Thorne was already waiting at the gate with a large black umbrella high over her head and she smiled widely as the car came to a stop. The passenger doors opened but Miss Thorne got in the way, blocking Tony's view of whoever was getting out of the car. There were two boys, apparently, because Tony could see their feet from under the umbrella as Miss Thorne led them inside.

* * *

><p>"Come on," Tony hissed at Steve and Bruce as he led the way down the hallway towards the staircase and balcony that overlooked the entrance of their house. He picked up the pace until he was right at the corner of the stairs and halted, leaning around the corner to stare down into the foyer. Steve and Bruce leaned over his shoulder and Steve grumbled something about getting into trouble.<p>

"Welcome, boys," Miss Thorne was saying as she threw open the front door into the foyer, "to Thorne's house for Boys. This house has been passed on from my grandmother, to my mother, to me. So be assured, I will do everything I can to make you comfortable here." That bit was entirely true. Miss Thorne was possibly the kindest woman Tony knew.

She stepped into the foyer, closing her dripping umbrella, as the sounds of showering water consumed the entrance. Behind her appeared two figures. One was tall, almost tall as Miss Thorne herself, with shaggy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The boy's arm was wrapped around a slightly shorter form; a kid with wide, afraid green eyes that were almost hidden by his tangling black hair. The two of them looked worn out and defeated, just as Tony remembered being when he'd first arrived.

"You'll meet the other boys later," Miss Thorne continued. "There will be sixteen in all with the two of you here but you two will be able to get your own room! Isn't that great?"

The boys said nothing, just staring at her blankly.

"Right. Your things are already up in your room. We brought everything over earlier. I'll take you to it and you can get settled until dinner is ready in an hour. Is that alright?"

Finally one of them spoke. The taller boy said, "Thank you, mam."

Miss Thorne smile widely and began to lead them to the stairs and immediately Tony, Steve and Bruce ducked back out of sight. "Let's get out of here," Bruce said. "I don't want to get in trouble.

Steve nodded and the two took off towards their room, expecting Tony to follow, except Tony didn't. Something held him back in the hallway as he listened to the creaking sound of the newcomers' steps up the stairs. A second later, Miss Thorne and the boys appeared at the landing.

"Oh, Tony, what are you doing out here?" she asked sweetly, coming to a stop to smile at him.

Tony shrugged, not sure what to say. He was too busy looking at the new boys. The shorter one hung on to blondie's elbow and was standing slightly behind him. The older one shifted himself even further in front of the shorter, as if to shield him. The two looked nothing alike.

"Who are you?" Tony asked before he could stop himself.

Miss Thorne laughed. "Tony, don't be rude. Boys, this is Tony Stark. Tony, this is Thor and Loki," she said, pointing at each boy. "Looks like Loki is our youngest now, Tony, so be sure to show him the ropes."

Tony regarded Loki curiously, who immediately avoided his gaze. Thor moved even further in front of Loki.

"Okay, let's take a look at that room," Miss Thorne said, continuing down the hallway. The boys followed and they didn't look at Tony again.

* * *

><p>"Their names are Thor and Loki and I guess Loki is fifteen because Miss Thorne said he's our youngest now and I just turned sixteen, so he's gotta be," Tony explained to Bruce and Steve. They were all sitting on Steve's bed, next to the cold window that was fogging from the downpour. "I don't know how old Thor is but he could be, like, eighteen. He's huge."<p>

"I don't think he's eighteen," Steve said, pressing his fingers to his lips. "He didn't seem that old to me."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm right and you know it. I'll prove it to ya." He stood and gestured for his friends to follow.

Bruce looked almost scandalized. "Where are we going?"

"We'll go talk to them and see who's right."

The others protested loudly, but that didn't stop Tony from skidding down the hallway two doors to the open one of Loki and Thor's and stopping at the doorframe. "Hey, how old are you?"

The two were sitting side by side on one of the beds and Loki had his head in his hands. They froze at Tony's appearance and Tony knew he had interrupted something. After a second, Thor smiled but Tony knew that smile. It was a forced smile that adults used when they didn't want anyone to know something was wrong.

Thor stood and Loki moved his fingers so that he was peeking between them. His eyes were watery. "Hey, you're Tony, right?" Thor asked, coming a little closer.

Tony nodded, feeling a little sorry for intruding. "Sorry, I just wanted to ask how old you were."

He looked confused, but Thor still answered, "Seventeen."

"Ha! Told you!" Steve hissed from Tony's right. Tony looked over in surprise. He hadn't noticed Steve and Bruce standing in shadows of the hallway.

Thor came to the doorway and peeked around the corner at them. "Hey guys, I'm Thor," he introduced himself. Tony's friends introduced themselves in response and finally they were all well-acquainted except for, well, Loki.

"So you must be fifteen," Tony said, turning his attention onto Loki.

Loki was still sitting in the same position but his hands were partially pulled away from his face now, revealing his bright green eyes once again. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Thor immediately took a step back by Loki and Tony instantly felt the depth of Thor's protectiveness. There was something blind and instinctive about the way Thor moved to block Loki within seconds. "Loki doesn't want to talk right now," Thor said.

Tony didn't have anything to say to that, but Bruce spoke up, "So are you two brothers? You don't look alike."

"Yeah, we're brothers," Thor said, smiling tightly. Tony could tell Thor was reaching the end of his patience. "But we're adopted brothers."

Oh, ouch. They were adopted brothers, meaning one of them had already done this song and dance of being in the system. And that same kid was here again after their second parents had died. Tony had a bit of an inkling of which brother it could be.

"We're a little tired," Thor said after a pause and he came to the door, fisting the doorknob. "So is it alright if I…?"

"Yeah," Steve said, stepping out of the doorway, pulling Bruce and Tony with him. "We'll see you at dinner."

Thor nodded and he closed the door on them, effectively shutting them out.

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, Loki and Thor became like ghosts in the house. Tony made several attempts to connect with them but Loki never talked and Thor was defensive. On top of that, they spent most of their time inside their room, hidden away from everyone. Sometimes Tony would even spot Thor leaving the room without Loki and come back with a tray with both of their meals. Tony began to wonder if he would ever get to know the new guys just a few doors down.<p>

Then, finally, Tony had his chance. He was leaving his room, heading towards the dining hall in search of food when he passed the partially opened door of Thor and Loki's room.

"This is my fault. It's all because of me," a soft voice that Tony had never heard before said. "It's my fault that they're dead!"

"It's not and you know it!" Thor hollered back and suddenly the door was thrown completely open. "I'm going to get us dinner."

"Thor!" Loki yelled.

Thor burst out of the room and his eyes widened at the sight of Tony in the hallway. That did not stop him, though. He brushed past Tony and practically stomped down the stairs in the direction of the kitchen.

"Thor!" Loki called again in almost a whine. Loki flew to the door and Tony turned to finally look at the phantom he had not seen since Loki had moved in.

_Holy crap, _Tony thought as the rest of his mind went blank. All he could do was stare at the mess of kid that had appeared in the doorway. Loki was dressed in an oversized gray t-shirt that hung over his frame like a blanket. His black hair was ruffled and tangled in places while spilling carelessly over his face. Loki was, in fact, a _hot _mess.

"Oh," Loki said, seeing Tony instead of Thor. Onceagain he looked completely uncomfortable in Tony's presence. "Do you know where Thor went?"

"Downstairs, I guess," Tony said, feeling his mouth go dry. There was something about Loki that was sending the tingles to his fingertips.

"Oh," Loki said again. His eyes skittered away but eventually they came back to focus on Tony's. That's when Tony noticed the red rings around the edges of Loki's eyes and the glittering trace of tears on his cheek. Tony's heart thumped.

"Loki, do you want to watch a movie with Steve, Bruce, and me? We're watching The Hobbit after dinner," Tony said. He didn't even know why he said it or why he wanted to coax this kid out of his shell but something was telling him to try.

Loki looked down the hallway where Thor had disappeared and then looked at the ground with a pained expression. "I don't know, I…"

"Just give it a chance!" Tony interrupted loudly. Loki looked up with a frown, startled by his outburst. "I mean, the movie. It's long but you'll love it I swear."

"I don't—"

"And we've got Skittles. We stole them from the kitchen an hour ago. So, yeah… there's Skittles." Tony rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Loki was staring at him like he was some kind of strange bug that had just decided to crawl into his personal space and Tony was screaming internally, trying not to die right then and there. "So yeah, see you after dinner!" Tony said, not giving Loki much of a chance to reply and started walking swiftly away.

Loki's eyes widened. "Hey, wait!"

Tony grinned at him at him over his shoulder. "Just you wait. You'll love it!" Then, as quick as he could Tony walked away and he continued to curse his self. God, he made himself look like an ass.

But in the end it was worth it, honestly, because when Tony showed up at Loki's door with Steve and Bruce in tow, Loki stared at him with such a look of shock that Tony couldn't help but bust out laughing. Thor looked just as surprised.

"Don't laugh at people, it's rude," Steve scolded Tony.

"Yeah, Tony, stop being an ass," Bruce said with a grin.

Thor frowned. "I'm sorry, what's going on?"

"Loki agreed to watch a movie with us," Tony explained.

"He did?" Thor asked with so much surprise that Tony was starting to think that Loki didn't get out much.

"Yes, he did," Tony answered for Loki. "Okay, so up and at it. Let's eat those Skittles."

Thor turned to Loki and immediately the two started arguing under their breath at each other. "No! No, seriously, Thor," Tony heard Loki hiss at one point.

Suddenly Thor popped up and smiled at them. "We'll join you. Come, Loki."

Tony led them to the living room, which was currently vacated, and plopped down in the middle of the couch. Surprisingly, Loki ended up sitting next to Tony, causing Tony to stare at him in pleasant disbelief.

"You have those Skittles, right?" Loki asked, glancing at him and tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. Tony was instantly stunned by the brilliant shade of green Loki's eyes were.

"It's all yours," Tony said, grabbing the large bowl right out of Bruce's hands and passing it to Loki.

"Hey!" Bruce cried.

Loki dug a hand deep into the bowl and pulled out a large handful before passing the bowl onto Thor, who took it enthusiastically. "Hey, how did you know Loki's favorite candy?"

Tony looked at Loki briefly. "I didn't, but now I do." Loki didn't look up from his hand full of Skittles.

"Okay, I'm pushing play," Steve said loudly, running back to the couch and plopping down next to Bruce.

"You'll love it," Tony told Loki.

This time, Loki did look up. "I've already seen it."

The rest of the movie, Tony found himself glancing periodically at Loki and he didn't know quite why. Ever since he had first laid eyes on Loki, he had felt a connection with him. He honestly thought he could make a good friend out of Loki. But then, 20 minutes into the movie, Loki fell asleep on Thor.

Thor looked utterly shocked at Loki's sleeping form. "He hasn't slept in weeks," he whispered urgently at them. Loki's hair was splayed all over his face and his second handful of Skittles was spilling all over his lap and down into the couch.

That's when Tony decided: he was going to make a friend out of Loki. What he didn't know then, however, was that he was going to want a lot more than just friendship.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey all! I have started this new fic because I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Those of you who are reading "Deprived of Mind," don't worry, I'll continue to update often. In fact, I should be updating that fic today. Thank you for reading so far!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Tony guessed that they were friends now but with Loki it was really hard to tell. Loki never smiled and he always looked dead tired and he just kind of sat there and watched Tony with discerning eyes while he munched on Skittles. Always Skittles.

"Don't you get sick of those things?" Tony asked from where he was lounging on his bed. Loki was sitting on the floor next to his bed even though he had told Loki he could sit on any of the three beds in the room.

Loki looked up with a frown. "What are you talking about? Skittles are my world." He held a giant bag that Tony had bought him this morning when he went with Steve and Bruce to the gas station down the road.

"Clearly," Tony said, rolling over. "Are you ready for school tomorrow?"

Loki didn't answer, too busy sorting the colors in his hand. Tony sighed and let his face drop into the pillow. "It's hard to talk to you, you know that?"

Loki shrugged, causing Tony to groan in frustration, but then Loki held out some Skittles to Tony. "I just don't feel like talking much lately," Loki said quietly. There was a trace of stinging sadness to his voice that drove pins and needles into Tony's poor compassionate heart.

He took some of the Skittles from Loki's hand and started munching on them while they settled into silence once again. Loki looked down into his bag and his hair spilled over his face, hiding it from Tony's view, but he watched fondly. Loki was a good guy, at least that much was pretty clear to Tony. He didn't talk much and he spent most of his time with Thor in his room, but how could anyone blame him? He and his brother had lost their parents! Speaking of which, Tony still hadn't found out what happened to the Odinson's parents.

Everyone knew Tony's story. His mother died when he was six and he didn't remember much about her except for the phantom smell of her perfume. His father died when his car crashed into a truck head on while on a business trip. Tony tried not to think too much about it anymore.

"Hey, Tony, are you okay?" Loki asked, leaning into his space.

Tony smiled at him, relishing in Loki's presence. "Yeah, great."

Loki looked unconvinced, so he held out a handful of sorted Skittles. "You can have the reds."

"Thanks, Loks," Tony said, taking the red portion.

"What did you just call me?" Loki's frown deepened.

"It's my new nickname for you and don't bother arguing about it, okay? Because I already decided that it's what I'm calling you from now on."

Loki rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to his Skittles, while Tony just grinned away.

* * *

><p>They walked to school the next day since the boys' house was only a few blocks away from the high school and Miss Thorne didn't have the time or resources to drive them there. Tony, Steve, and Bruce were walking in a straight line, talking, while Thor walked with Loki right behind them. The two were whispering quietly to each other.<p>

Bruce was saying something about their physics class this year but Tony wasn't listening. He was tossing surreptitious glances over his shoulder, watching the brothers curiously. Loki looked up once, catching Tony's eye, and Tony immediately looked away.

"So what are we talking about?" Tony asked his two friends, finally focusing on them.

Bruce's eyebrow ticked. "Would you listen to me when I'm talking to you for once?"

Tony placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "Oh, you were talking to me?"

Steve shook his head with a smile. "You're a terrible person."

"I'm offended!" Tony cried.

They reached the school a few minutes later and suddenly Tony was a little nervous. Back when his dad was still alive, he remembered how everyone used to think the guys from the boys' house were weird and downright depressing. He didn't want to be talked about that way behind his back.

"Friends," Thor said loudly, effectively stopping the three in their tracks. Thor stood close to his brother, as close as he could get without morphing into Loki, and he was smiling at the three of them weakly. "I hope to trust the three of you with Loki today."

"Of course!" Steve replied immediately while Bruce nodded his agreement. They were all in the 10th grade with Loki while Thor was a senior.

Tony crossed over to Loki and slung an arm across Loki's shoulders. "We've got Loks. We won't let him leave our sight."

Thor smiled happily while Loki brooded, pushing Tony's arm off his shoulder and starting to walk towards the school without any of them. "Well, see you later, Thor," Tony said, walking after Loki with Steve and Bruce at his heels. "Loki, wait up!"

Surprisingly, Loki did slow down and he waited for them with his fingers curled tightly around his backpack straps. "Hurry up already," Loki said.

Tony whistled. "Wow, Loks, I really like it when you take charge."

Loki rolled his eyes again and was about to reply when Pepper suddenly appeared at Tony's side saying, "Stop flirting with the poor boy, geez."

"Hey Pep," Tony greeted. He introduced Pepper to Steve, Bruce, and Loki and in turn, Pepper introduced them to her new friends Natasha and Clint. Tony pointed at Clint. "Whoa, aren't you that kid that is kind of psychotic in archery club?"

"Oh shove it up your ass, Stark," Clint shot back.

Tony laughed but then was greeted by Rhodey appearing, saying, "Tony! How you been, man?"

"I'm alright, considering," Tony said with a smile. He glanced at Steve and Bruce, feeling suddenly a heavier connection with them that his old friends Rhodey and Pepper… Steve and Bruce knew what it was like to be without a family, to have to deal with that unbearable realization that you will never see them again. Steve and Bruce were his brothers.

Tony's words dulled the mood instantly and Tony became very aware of the sad expressions that everyone, not just his friends, were giving Tony, the newly orphaned student at the school.

"Hey," Bruce interrupted Tony's thoughts. "I think Loki just left."

Sure enough, Tony glances around the immediate area in the school yard and Loki's nowhere to be seen. "Damn it, he's too good at that," Tony groaned.

"Good at what?" Pepper asked.

"Getting us to forget that he's there," Tony replied. It's true. Loki constantly did that in the boys' house, slipping away in the middle of conversations or movies or games and none of them would even notice until it was over. Loki was just too quiet for his own good.

"Come on, Tony, let's go look for him," Steve says, gesturing at the school over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Yeah, let's see where he disappeared to this time."

* * *

><p>They didn't find him again until lunch. Loki's sitting all alone, unnoticed, at a table to the far left of the cafeteria near the windows. Tony frowned at the lone figure, who was facing away from them, and asked his friends, "Why doesn't he just sit with some of his old friends?"<p>

"Tony, I don't think he had friends," Steve reminded him. "He joined the school halfway through the first semester last year."

"Oh, right," Tony said, not really remembering what Steve was talking about.

They took their trays over to where Loki was sitting and immediately sit down around him. "For crying out loud," Tony said, seeing Loki's lunch, "would you give those things a rest already?" Loki had, of course, the normal school lunch but it was left untouched in favor of a half-eaten bag of Skittles that he held in his hands.

"I don't know why you expect anything different from me."

"He has a point," Bruce said.

"Thank you, Bruce. How could I do anything without you," Tony replied.

"So where have you been all day?" Steve asked.

Loki put down his candy. "Well, we don't have classes together, so it's only logical that we wouldn't see each other."

"Yeah, well, I think you're avoiding us," Tony said angrily. He didn't know why it pissed him off so much.

Loki glared at him. "Why would I do that?"

"Well, to be honest, it did kind of feel like you were. We looked for you all day," Steve said politely.

The expression that crossed over Loki's face was of complete shock, as if he couldn't believe that they would even look for him. He confirmed it a second later when he said, "I was just going to class. I thought I should leave you with your friends."

"You're our friend too," Tony said.

Loki looked so confused, that Steve casted Tony a helpless expression when Loki wasn't looking. Bruce nodded his agreement then. "The four of us, we're brothers now."

"And don't forget Thor," Steve inputted.

"The five of us," Bruce corrected himself.

Loki didn't smile but his eyes lit up after that. Tony went about the rest of the day feeling pretty happy.

* * *

><p>Tony's mood plummeted after school. At first, Tony, Bruce, and Steve couldn't find Loki and they knew he wasn't with Thor because Thor was at football practice. They looked everywhere but in the end, they assumed that Loki walked home by himself and the three set out down the road, walking briskly.<p>

Around the corner, halfway through their walk, they spotted the black tendrils of Loki's hair where he was walking very, very slowly down the sidewalk ahead of them. His hands were limp at his sides.

"Loki!" Tony yelled excitedly but Loki doesn't turn around. He just kept walking. "For Christ's sake."

"Something's wrong," Steve said and he raced ahead of Tony and Bruce to get to Loki. Tony and Bruce hung back for a second to watch Steve intercept Loki, who stopped in his tracks. Steve dropped his bag down in front of Loki, and that was Tony's cue to run over to where they stood, to see what was wrong.

When Tony gets there, he's shocked into silence. Steve reached out to Loki, resting a comforting hand on Loki's shoulder, and asked, "What the hell happened?"

Loki's face was a mess. His left eye was circled by a heavy black bruise and his lip was split open, still dripping with blood. His hands looked just as bad, heavy with bruising and cracked, bloody knuckles. "Holy shit, Loks," Tony hissed.

"Just a fight, guys," Loki said lifelessly, looking from Bruce to Tony to Steve.

"My ass it was just a fight!" Tony yelled.

"Tony, shut up," Bruce said, and it shut Tony right up.

Loki shrugged. "You should see the other guys."

"What happened?" Steve asked.

Steve's concern had Loki looking straight at Steve with none of the bullshit and his eyes flashed with a hint of pain. "These guys were talking about my parents…"

"Shit," Tony said, interrupting Loki's story. It's okay though, because Loki's eyes started to water and Tony knew Loki wouldn't be finishing the story.

Steve grabbed Loki and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Don't listen to the bastards."

"And next time, come get us," Tony said, shaking his fist dramatically. "We'll kick their asses for you. We've got Bruce on our side and he can beat anyone up."

Loki glanced at Tony over Steve's shoulder and he did something Tony had never seen before. He smiled at Tony. "I can handle those assholes in a fight any day." Tony's heart stuttered painfully and he had to look away.

Steve pulled out of the hug finally and Loki was still smiling, just weakly now. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Steve said.

"And then I'll buy you another giant bag of Skittles," Tony told him, inching closer to Loki.

Loki's attention snapped to Tony. "Let's go right now."

"Dude, you look like shit," Tony said. "Wait till after you get cleaned up."

"You're such a pest," Loki mumbled, but yet he was still smiling.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you like the story so far! <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Loki looked at himself in the mirror, observing the bruises and dried blood from his split lip but he felt nothing. This is what he deserved. He was stupid, useless, and all he did was hurt people. He was the cause of his parents' deaths and then he caused the deaths of Thor's parents and Loki knew without a doubt that he deserved every bad thing that happened to him. In fact, he welcomed it because if he were happy, he knew their ghosts would come back to haunt him.

He sighed, gripping the porcelain sink. The only thing that were stopping him from disappearing forever was his brother and their new friends. They were nice, especially since they bought him Skittles whenever he felt extremely depressed. It was kind of weird how they could sense that from him.

A knock came at the door and it was the sixth time within the last ten minutes. "Loki, are you okay in there?" Steve's quiet voice floated through the door.

"Fine," Loki called through gritted teeth. He'd told them that he was cleaning off his face but really he was hiding.

"See, he won't open the door," Tony said.

Loki glared at himself in the mirror. Now he was worrying the only people that cared about him and that made him hate himself even more. Why couldn't he just talk to people normally?

There was a thump against the door as someone leaned against it and suddenly Thor was calling, "Loki, can you open the door?"

Loki went still. He hadn't expected Thor to be home so early. He was supposed to be at football practice. "Thor?"

"Yeah, it's me," Thor said softly. "I left practice early. Someone told me you got beat up."

Again, Loki glared at himself. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

"He's lying," Stark said. "It looked pretty bad."

"Shut up, Stark!" Loki roared, turning on the door. Before he could stop himself, he flung the door open to glare at Tony and Thor stumbled in surprise.

Quickly, Thor composed himself and he slipped into the bathroom with him and grabbed Loki's shoulder. "Let me help you."

Frustration overtook Loki and he threw his hands into the air with a huff. "Why can't any of you just leave me alone?" He looked down on the floor. "Why do you even care?"

"Loki…" Thor started.

"I killed my parents and I killed yours too, Thor! Why do you care?!"

"Loki, you didn't actually kill them, you know that right? It's not your fault."

Loki groaned and pushed Thor out of the way, marching right past his three new friends that he clearly did not deserve. He headed towards his room without looking back.

* * *

><p>Tony watched Loki's retreating back all the way down the hallway before he turned on Thor. "Why does he think he killed everyone? What happened?"<p>

"Maybe he doesn't want to answer that," Bruce interrupted, looking at Tony sternly.

"Loki's my friend and I want to know what the fuck is happening!" Tony hollered at him. He didn't like the look on Loki's face when he talked like that.

Thor turned on him and Tony couldn't help shrinking back in complete surprise. "Just because you have wormed your way into my brother's defenses does not give you permission to know everything about him. You have to earn it. Loki's different from everyone in this place. He needs time and he won't fully open to you, and he may not at all!" Thor's face was flushed with anger and his eyes flashed with something that caused Tony to falter.

"You don't know what happened to Loki's parents," Tony guessed. Thor's face shuttered between hurt and anger. Well, that explained that.

"If he hasn't told even me, then he won't tell you."

Tony stared at Thor and then glanced at his friends. "He'll talk to me," he said quietly.

Thor frowned. "Why are you trying so hard?" When Tony didn't reply, the realization dawned on Thor's face. "You like my brother!"

Tony's face heated. "So, you got a problem with that?" He glanced at Bruce and Steve and they looked utterly shocked.

"You what?" Bruce asked. Steve looked like he was going to pass out but Bruce just looked like he was holding back a laugh.

"Shut up, guys," Tony snapped at them. He turned back to Thor. "I like your brother, yeah, so will you tell me what's going on now?"

Thor regarded him carefully through narrowed eyes. "If you want to know anything that happened, I suggest you take it up with him."

"Fine," Tony growled, turning on his heel, "I will."

* * *

><p>Loki was lying face down on his bed, hating himself, hating life, hating everything when his door was flung open suddenly and so harshly that it slammed heavily into Loki's wall. He flew into a sitting position in surprise and turned his signature glare onto his intruder. "Stark," Loki sighed, seeing Tony stand in the doorway with a strange expression on his face. "What are you doing?"<p>

"Loki, I like you," Tony said coming into the room, his gaze only on Loki.

Uncomfortable, Loki laughed nervously, trying to figure out if this was some kind of joke but unfortunately, Tony looked all too serious. "You're kidding right?"

"You are the densest person I've ever met," Tony said with groan, covering his eyes as if it were a pain to look at Loki.

"If this is your way of courting me, Stark, you are doing a poor job of it."

"Courting?" Tony said, finally cracking a smile. Loki sighed in relief, seeing his smile, because a Tony that was serious was a little creepy to be honest.

"Yes, courting," Loki replied with a small smile of his own.

Suddenly, without warning, Tony was on Loki, pressing his lips to his. Loki pushed him away, gasping, and pressed his fingers to his split lip. "That hurt!"

Tony's face morphed into fear. "Oh God, did I hurt you? Is it bleeding?" He leaned in and took Loki's chin to try to see the wound better. Loki's heart began to beat rapidly. Tony was looking at him like he was something fragile, something worth caring about, and it scared him.

Loki pushed him away again, rubbing at his lips. "I'm fine, Stark. I just don't think it's funny."

"You think this is a joke?" Tony asked, looking at him like he was crazy. "When I kiss someone, I mean it, Loks."

Shock from his words rocked Loki to his core. Tony was serious. "You don't want me; you barely know me."

"But I want to," Tony said, invading Loki's personal space again. He sat down right next to him so that they were shoulder to shoulder.

"No, you don't, because when you hear what I've done you'll hate me."

"Try me," Tony countered.

Loki breathed in deeply. "Thor's parents died because I called them to pick me up from where I was doing drugs at 3am in the morning. They ran a red light and were killed on impact when another car hit them. My parents died in a fire cause from cigarette I left lit on my bedside table. They didn't wake up in time but I got out. I don't fucking deserve to happy and you deserve better than me." Loki forced it all out in a rush and he felt a sick sensation of satisfaction when Tony looked at him complete shock. "Now get out, Stark. I don't need your pity." Tony didn't move. "Get out!"

Tony flinched but he stood up slowly and went to leave the room. At the last second, he turned back and said, "You're not evil, Loks, no matter how you spin it."

Loki glared at him as he stood and crossed the room. "Yes I am." He slammed the door in Tony's face and then stared numbly at it.

Loki's never had anyone like him before and he's definitely never had anyone confess it to his face… Well, as much as it hurt, Tony was bound to change his mind now. Loki wasn't loveable, and just to prove it, Loki decided he would make Tony hate him as much as possible.

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><p><strong>UGH. I really don't like this story right now and I'm very tempted to delete it, but I updated anyway just to see what kind of feedback I get. Is anyone out there still reading this and enjoying it? Just so you know... I may delete this story and work on the Supernatural fanfic that I so desperately want to write...<strong>


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